Exclusive Interview – Mustafa Akyol – 2016

Mustafa Akyol Bio:

A Turkish journalist and author, Mustafa Akyol studied political science and history at Bogazici University, and teaches politics and religion at Fatih University, both in Istanbul. For about a decade, he has been writing regular opinion columns for Turkish publications like Hurriyet Daily News, and recently for the Middle-East focused Al-Monitor.com. Since fall 2013, he is also a regular contributing opinion writer for The International New York Times.

He has published six books in Turkish, including “Rethinking the Kurdish Question: What Went Wrong, What Next?” (2005). His latest book, “Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty,” an argument for Islamic liberalism, was published in the United States in 2011 by W.W. Norton. The book was long-listed for the Lionel Gelber Prize, a literary prize awarded by the University of Toronto for the best nonfiction book in English that seeks to deepen public debate on significant international issues, and praised by The Financial Times as “a forthright and elegant Muslim defense of freedom.” The book has been published also in Turkish,Malay and Indonesian.

Mr. Akyol is also a public speaker who has given lectures and talks on numerous platforms, including TED, where he spoke on “Faith vs. Tradition in Islam.” He has also been a commentator on public affairs programs, including the BBC’s “Hardtalk” and CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS.”

He is married — as not only the husband to a most amazing wife, but also the father of a most lovely young baby boy. He thanks God for them.